Calliatians and Religion
The Calliatians possess a cultural concept of spirituality which has existed since long before the formation of The Original Empire. However, the Calliatians generally abhor organized religion, viewing all religion as the manipulation by mortals of Divine Will for their own personal gain or to support their own mortal agendas. The Calliatians maintain very few texts which are considered to be of divine origin. Rather, most Calliatian beliefs in a creator or supernatural being(s) are based upon what the Calliatians consider to be physical evidence of such a being (or beings), which is present throughout the Way Galaxy. The principle beliefs of the Calliatians regarding divinity, creation, and supernatural beings are: 1) There is a Divine Creator of the Universe, and evidence of his/her/its existence is physically present throughout the Universe. This entity is believed by the Calliatians to be a Single Entity or Consciousness, who/which is usually referred to by the Calliatian word for "Creator"... "Deanas" (pronounced: DAY-ah-NAS). Deanas is believed to exist outside of any concepts of gender or any relation to a particular species, and thus is not a "him", "her", or a "person." For the purposes of this page, the pronoun "It" will be used, for clarity and brevity. 2) Deanas has given no indication that it desires to be worshipped. The Calliatians believe that the concept of Worship is a construct of mortals, who wish to control others through fear and mortally-constructed dogma. 3) The Calliatians believe that the only reason for the existence of the Universe is that Deanas created the Universe for the sole purpose of life. The Universe was created as a self-sufficient Universe, which requires no intervention by Deanas to operate as intended. In essence, Deanas gave the Universe everything that it needed to exist and for life to flourish within it. 4) The only proper way to "serve" Deanas is to actively participate in the preservation of life and to encourage its growth and evolution. The Calliatians view this as fulling their purpose, as an evolutionary result of Creation, and as the only way to truly show appreciation for the "gift" of life. This is the core belief which has resulted in the establishment of The Mission. 5) There is NO fate, nor is there any intervention by Deanas in the affairs of mortal life or the Universe. It is the intent of Deanas that the Universe shall function on its own, and that the life-forms which are living in the Universe will assist in the perpetuation of the Universe and the life within it. 6) There is NO Evil, and no Good, beyond that which is created by mortal life within the Universe. Deanas exists outside of any concept of "Good and Evil." 7) Over 200,000 years ago, the Calliatians saw the formation of the Empire as absolutely necessary for the continued successful performance of The Mission. For this reason, the Calliatians view the Emperor (of The Original Empire) as being "Divinely Ordained"... an inevitable occurrence in the history of the Universe, if The Mission were to succeed. By participating in the formation of The Empire, the Calliatians believe that they have exercised Free Will to continue the true purpose of the Universe, as intended by Deanas. ---------------- Examples of the Interpretation by the Calliatians of Divinity, the existence of a Supreme Being or "Creator", Religion, and "Divine Purpose." 1) Question: Why doesn't Deanas guide us and show us the way to life and peace? Answer: We are the Creation of Deanas. We are fortunate to have the gift of life. It is not the obligation of Deanas to guide us. We have been given everything that we need to survive. Deanas wants us to use what he has given us, to help each other and to survive. 2) Question: Why are we allowed to suffer from this dreadful disease? Answer: Our suffering simply means that we ourselves are doing something wrong. Why did we put so much effort into constructing luxuries or making war, when we could have put our effort into defeating this disease? It is not the fault of Deanas... It is OUR Fault.